ARTICLES ABOUT DEALS BY DATE - PAGE 4

Shoppers found their anticipated deals on Christmas merchandise on Thursday, with bows, wrapping paper and holiday gift sets mostly out of stock by the afternoon hours at stores such as Michaels in Hampton. "I went to Becky's Hallmark in Grafton," said Peggy Buchwald. "(It was) pretty busy. (They had) 40 percent off Christmas items. " Stores such as The Mole Hole, which has locations in Williamsburg, Newport News, Hampton and Virginia Beach offered 50 percent off Christmas items.

Deal goes nowhere I ran for Virginia state delegate in part because I was tired of politicians playing "Let's Make a Deal. " I wanted to implement engineering principle to solve our state's problems. Your newspaper even criticized me for that stating that, "facts and figures should not take president over leadership and persuasion. ". Well the deal makeers in Congress did it again, they came up with another deal that does not solve our problems and would never pass an effective an honest "cost-benefit" analysis.

Boys: Devante Carter scored 22 points Thursday night as visiting Woodside handed Heritage its first loss, 67-53 . Romello Anderson had 18 points for the Hurricanes (5-1), who were outscored 21-14 in the second quarter by their city rivals. ... About every Bruin in uniform scored as Bethel romped to a 94-28 victory at Gloucester . ... New Kent sank 22 3-pointers in a 99-67 win at Poquoson . Blake Kelley hit nine 3s and had 36 points for the Trojans.

Changing times Re "Refine that upward path. " [In the Dec. 13 letter, the writer implies] that most fast food workers don't need a higher wage because they're teenagers and living at home. I suggest he might want to do a little more research. The average age of a fast food worker today is about 30. He or she has a family, works 40 hours a week and still needs food stamps to survive. The average age was 22 about 10 years ago, but the economy changed that. Many now take any job they can find, often at salaries far below what they once earned.

Retirees younger than 62, and future retirees including currently serving members, would see yearly COLAs in retirement cut by one-percentage point below inflation until age 62. At that point they would receive a one-time catch up in their annuity to restore lost purchasing power going forward into old age. Retirees younger than 62, and future retirees including currently serving members, would see yearly COLAs in retirement cut by one-percentage point...

The agreement struck by Republican Rep. Paul Ryan and Democratic Sen. Patty Murray staves off the likelihood of another government shutdown on Jan. 15, when funding for most federal agencies expires. It is also a refreshing change from the dreary script of partisanship and brinksmanship that has become the norm for what passes as our legislative process these days. But let's not for one minute confuse this short-term deal with the meaningful budget reform our nation desperately needs.

With 11 days to go to nail down a budget deal, a House and Senate conference committee is close - but the deal may not be as comprehensive as some had hoped, Sen. Tim Kaine, a committee member, told some of the shipyard workers whose jobs may be at stake. "We've got 11 days, but I'm optimistic," Kaine told more than 100 BAE Systems Ship Repair workers gathered just outside the yard's machine shop to hear his update from Washington - and to tell him about their own worries. Kaine said his key goal is to avoid some $20 billion in additional Defense Department cuts slated for next year if the committee can't negotiate an agreement.

Climate change skeptic The front page story in the Nov. 25 Daily Press on the risks of climate change was frightening, and went well beyond the evidence. Even the United Nations Climate Change Committee, in its most recent report, admitted that global warming has, seemingly inexplicably, been suspended for the past 15 years. The committee, in its report, used various rhetorical devices to explain why it believes warming will return. Perhaps I have a slightly longer perspective, having been born in 1933 and survived the hurricane of 1938 that did more damage to New England than any since.

Last year, employees in the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's distribution center prepared and shipped boxes at more than 10 times their normal rate for Cyber Monday. "When I think about the 958 boxes we did on the Friday and Saturday before Cyber Monday to prepare, and the 910 boxes we did on Cyber Monday, it's just amazing," said Roz Ramsey, manager of the distribution center. The typical number of boxes prepared and shipped in a day at the Williamsburg warehouse? 150. Cyber Monday sales are expected to increase by double-digits this year, according to predictions by consumer trend analysts at IBISWorld.